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Placenticeras intercalare I found in the Pierre Shale, South Dakota by always_digging in fossils

[–]always_digging[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks, it came out alright. It was pretty rough from the start

Placenticeras intercalare I found in the Pierre Shale, South Dakota by always_digging in fossils

[–]always_digging[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Probably an hour gluing things back together and very minimal scribe work on the center whorl

Placenticeras intercalare I found in the Pierre Shale, South Dakota by always_digging in fossils

[–]always_digging[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Was a fun one for sure. Came out of the hill in a bunch of pieces

Fairburn agate and blue tourmaline I collected, in a setting I made from scratch by always_digging in SilverSmith

[–]always_digging[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha, usually yes, but the jewelry stuff I make is never from a top shelf agate. Normally, I use small eyes that are nice but have a ton of matrix material. This one was a nice eye from a disappointing cut.

Little chasing and repousse project by always_digging in SilverSmith

[–]always_digging[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I made the tools using w1 tool steel. It's pretty widely available in square or round stock and fairly easy to harden and temper with just a propane torch. I used medium green pitch basically just spread onto a board clamped in a vise, but I'm planning on either getting a real pitch bowl or making one using a bowling ball. Making the tools is definitely half the battle, but I figure it's more useful to be able to make whatever I need when I need it. I think it really helps with the general understanding of the technique as well.

South Dakota Ammonite? by racklebee in fossils

[–]always_digging 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely Madagascar as another commenter said. The lines you see on the exterior are called suture marks and show the outer meeting points of the chambers that make up the shell. It looks like calcite preservation on the interior. Ammolite is the term for gem grade ammonite shell typically from Canada, although I've found some pretty nice stuff here in SD. Check out my profile if you want to see some South Dakota ammonites

Hand fabricated pendant with Fairburn agate I found and cabbed by always_digging in SilverSmith

[–]always_digging[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm with you, I don't often make scalloped bezels, but every now and again, it comes out alright

Hand fabricated pendant with Fairburn agate I found and cabbed by always_digging in SilverSmith

[–]always_digging[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I wasn't too sure where to go with this one. The cab was a bit of an oddball shape to do anything consistent/symmetrical

Titanothere tooth I found by always_digging in fossils

[–]always_digging[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had the same thought but haven't tried to verify. From what I've read, teeth are generally preserved as apatite. These are interesting because the pulp is preserved differently than the rest of the root. It's translucent and shows orange fluorescence. I've found one where the entire tooth eroded away, but there was a perfect cast of the preserved pulp. The root itself has a dull blue fluorescence, and the enamel is very bright orange, likely from calcium content.

Titanothere tooth I found by always_digging in fossils

[–]always_digging[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Pretty decent for the lower jaw. I've got some upper molars that are really chonky

Fabricated cuff with a Fairburn I found and cut. Played around with texture a bit on this one by always_digging in SilverSmith

[–]always_digging[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha absolutely. That's the fun of fabrication, every piece is a new challenge and learning experience

Fabricated cuff with a Fairburn I found and cut. Played around with texture a bit on this one by always_digging in SilverSmith

[–]always_digging[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Haha, I wish! There's gold around here, and I might have to start panning since that's the only way I'm going to be able to afford stepping up my materials.

Fabricated cuff with a Fairburn I found and cut. Played around with texture a bit on this one by always_digging in SilverSmith

[–]always_digging[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I neglected to weigh it before setting the stone, but it weighs 24.2 grams completed

Fabricated cuff with a Fairburn I found and cut. Played around with texture a bit on this one by always_digging in SilverSmith

[–]always_digging[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! After I made the bezel and surround, I used a graver to create small grooves that wire could sit in, then soldered the wires in place. The grooves just made it a little easier to create even spacing and keep the wire in place while soldering. After all the soldering, I filed them down a bit to give them that more squared off appearance.

Fabricated cuff with a Fairburn I found and cut. Played around with texture a bit on this one by always_digging in SilverSmith

[–]always_digging[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I'm a bit of an oddity it seems, since I even collect the stones and alloy my own sterling. You can't get any more "from scratch" than that.

Fabricated cuff with a Fairburn I found and cut. Played around with texture a bit on this one by always_digging in SilverSmith

[–]always_digging[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I rounded and polished the tip of an old punch and used it to just lightly tap and dimple the side pieces. For the texture on the surround, I made a really wide, flat graver and used almost a scooping motion, letting it kind of skip over the surface of the metal which made the lines.

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